


lovely.

by emepe



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Armin Arlert Sees The Ocean, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, F/M, First Kiss, First Love, First Time, Fluff, Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Other, Romantic Fluff, nothing major just a few sentences, slight nsfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29137062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emepe/pseuds/emepe
Summary: A short one shot of your relationship with Armin throughout the years.I didn't specify any particular pronouns for Reader, so everyone can enjoy without being taken out of character :)
Relationships: Armin Arlert & Reader, Armin Arlert/Reader
Kudos: 59





	lovely.

**Author's Note:**

> I have this headcanon that Armin would be a big IU fan, so I wrote this while listening to the Love Poem album, while also being inspired by another one of her songs for a kdrama OST. I chose Lovely as the title for this for no other reason than it being my top of mind adjective when thinking about Armin *cries*. 
> 
> Also, here are some songs I feel fit the story nicely. You don't have to listen to them while reading, since the reading time doesn't really align with the songs, but I thought I would share regardless.
> 
> \- Little by little. CHEEZE  
> \- Give you my heart. IU
> 
> Happy reading!

The attraction I felt towards Armin Arlert the first time I met him was immediate. It was like he had a magnetic pull on me. He took my hand in his and smiled at me while giving it a friendly squeeze as I took note of his blond hair that reached his shoulders, it looked so soft. At seven years old, his rosy cheeks and kind blue eyes were the only thing on my mind as a young child experiencing their very first crush, on none other than the boy that had recently moved next door. 

Years went by with us walking together to school, spending the weekends at each others house, and, every now and then, going for a walk up the hill close by and laying together in the middle of the lavender field we happened to discover one day, talking for hours. The conversations were never boring, Armin would manage to entice me with any topic no matter how trivial. I watched as his angelic features evolved into something more mature and masculine, but the sweetness in his eyes remained. 

\---

On the night of my thirteenth birthday, after everyone who had come to celebrate with me had gone back home, and all that was left of the small party were the colorful streamers scattered on the living room carpet and a few slices of leftover cake in the fridge, Armin and I were sat on the floor next to my bed. I don't know when it happened exactly, but his smiling face was suddenly mere inches apart from mine. Oh, how badly I wanted for him to lean in further and take my first kiss. I started questioning if I had some form of supernatural power because he seemed to be leaning in closer to me with his mouth parted the second that thought had popped into my head. I held my breath and fluttered my eyes closed as I waited for the moment of contact between our lips. Armin's face was so warm, I could easily sense him getting closer, I felt his breath fanning across my face, the fuzzy sensation of him just barely touching me and then... his presence was gone. I opened my eyes and found him with his hand balled into a fist over his mouth, his cheeks burning crimson and his eyes averting my gaze. 

He left my house soon after and neither of us ever brought up what had almost happened as to not upset the other.

\---

It was in the middle of June a few years later when Armin and I had gone up to our favorite place once again, the lavender field in full bloom. He talked and I listened intently, gazing at him with wide enamored eyes.

 _I love you._ Armin froze in the middle of his sentence. The image of him speaking so fondly about his dream to one day live by the ocean, his eyes shining almost as bright as his smile, was what had pushed me into vocalizing the words that had been stitched in my mind since I met him. I waited for a response that never came.

His silence gave me my first heartbreak at the age of sixteen. I lagged behind him on the way back home and didn't bother to look him in the eye as we said goodnight before we both split ways to our respective houses. Tears started streaming down my cheeks as I made my way to my bedroom and I spent hours trying to calm myself down, my pillow stained with tears, my cheeks puffed and my eyes swollen and red. I couldn't bring myself to sleep, my thoughts running at a ridiculous speed, trying to come up with a method to take my words back without damaging my relationship with Armin any more than that afternoon's incident already had. Except I didn't want to take them back, I wanted him to know my true feelings. 

Later that night, as I tossed and turned under the covers, I heard a tap on my window and peeked through the curtains to find that beautiful boy standing outside. I hurried to open the window, confused as to why he was there to see me this late and why he couldn't have just rang the doorbell at the front porch. The soft summer breeze waved my curtains as I leaned against the window sill and I suddenly felt extremely guilty as he analyzed my appearance after having cried for so long. He said nothing, and instead brought his hands around my face, stroking at the dried out tears before his lips curved into a sad smile, his eyebrows furrowing with worry over the thought of hurting my feelings earlier that day. 

_I love you, too._ His voice was no more than a whisper but I understood him perfectly. My eyes widened in surprise and a breathy laugh escaped his lips. My favorite sound. He pulled my face closer at the same time he leaned in and kissed me gingerly, his lips as soft and tender as I expected them to be. I sighed into the kiss as I placed my hands on his shoulders and mentally cursed at the wall of my room for keeping distance between us. 

\---

Nothing much changed after that night. Armin was still Armin, I was still me. Only now, I didn't have to push away any urge to touch him, to kiss him, to hold him. 

A few weeks after our mutual confession, we went on a trip together to the beach. The drive had been long and exhausting, but it was all worth it to see the fascination and pure joy in Armin's innocent gaze as he laughed and tugged at my sleeve to get me to play with him in the crystalline waters. Everything was perfect. 

But then he moved away to the city two years later. I couldn't ask him to stay with me no matter how badly I wanted to scream my pleas at him, it was selfish. He had been accepted into a top university, and although I was happy for him, I couldn't help but feel like I was falling behind. Still, I let him go with a smile and a promise to write to him as often as I could and he did the same.

\---

Five years have passed and it's also been several months since I last heard from him. The letters we sent to each other had become less frequent as our schedules had gradually gotten busier. Walking the streets of a small town near the ocean, I come across a small, lively tea shop. The bell on the door dings as I walk inside and I ask for lavender tea, which is promptly brought to me minutes after I take a seat at a table near the window. As I'm on my last sip, I catch sight of blond hair outside the tea shop from my peripheral vision, and the person it belongs to also comes to a stop, right in front of my table. I hurry to pay for the tea and rush out the door. It's him, it's really him. His hair is now much shorter, styled with an undercut and he's much taller than the last time I saw him, but it's still him. Armin is stunned but wastes no time in meeting me halfway and pulling me into a warm embrace. 

Next thing I know, he's opening the door to his house for me. By the ocean, just like he had told me that summer afternoon. We stumble into his room, our hands roaming each other's bodies, carefully removing every last piece of clothing until it's just skin against skin. Laying down on his bed, with him hovering over me, I raise a hand to caress the smooth skin of his face and reach to his hair. I thread my fingers in between the golden locks, gently tugging at them as I hear his velvety voice whispering my name into my ear. He grabs my free hand and pins it on the bed, slowly sliding his fingers across my palm until our hands are interlocked. He's gentle, it's the first time for both of us.

There was no need to verbally express how we felt about the other. We both knew the answer, yet the room was still filled with repeated affirmations of _I love you_ , _I missed you so much_ and _you're so beautiful_. Every moment of intimacy we've ever shared throughout our lives, including this one, went beyond carnal pleasure, the ways in which we offered ourselves to each other was much more complex. He was mine and I was his.

\---

The sunlight sneaks its way through the cracks between the blinds. I turn my head, still a bit disoriented from just waking up, and there he is, my one and only. In peaceful slumber, his face pressed against the pillow and his pink lips slightly parted to let out tranquil breaths.

I reach out to his face and gently brush away the locks of hair that have fallen over his forehead, then trace a finger over every one of his features with a delicate touch. His nose crinkles slightly and he stirs in his sleep before patting his hand around the sheets until he finds my waist and pulls me closer to him, the warmth of his body causing my heart flutter. I smile against his bare chest and wrap my arm around him, stroking his back and he latches onto me even harder, placing a kiss at the top my head. I feel happy and I know he feels the same. 

I'm bound to you, in body, heart, and soul... my lovely Armin.

**Author's Note:**

> Armin is so precious to me, I love him so much. I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it. You can also check out my Eren x Reader fic if you'd like, just click on my pseud/username. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are loved and appreciated! :)


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